Creekland MS Student Wins County Spelling Bee Title
Creekland Middle School seventh-grader Leah Childers correctly spelled “ubiquity” and then “debutante” to claim the title as the county’s top speller at the 2025 Cherokee County School District Spelling Bee.
Liberty Elementary School fifth-grader Royd Reyes captured second after more than a dozen rounds between the two finalists on Wednesday night at Cherokee High School. Fifth-grader Teagan Gray from Johnston Elementary placed third, and Carmel Elementary fifth-grader Sebastian Kasarhis claimed fourth place. All four students earned a spot at the Region Bee Feb. 22. State winners advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee held in Washington, D.C. in June.
Thirty Cherokee County students, each school-wide winners from their respective elementary and middle schools, put their spelling skills to the test in the annual competition, which continued almost two hours with over 120 words before a winner was decided. Spellers tackled tricky terms like “cacophonous,” “bellwether” and “expostulate.”
The county spelling bee is sponsored each year by Cherokee County Association of Educators and the Georgia Association of Educators. Bekki Couch is the GAE Spelling Bee Coordinator; Joy Silk, CCSD director of teaching and learning, served as caller of the words. Judges included Tiffany Robbins, Bekki Couch and Jennifer Campbell.
School Spelling Bee Winners
Arnold Mill ES: Qiang Morris-Moya
Avery ES: Cooper Allen
Ball Ground ES STEM Academy: Marlowe Le Croy
Bascomb ES: Cannon Paul
Boston ES: Levi Bridgers
Carmel ES: Sebastian Kasarhis
Clark Creek ES STEM Academy: Ryan Beniston
Clayton ES: Isabella Byess
Creekland MS: Leah Childers
Dean Rusk MS: Zachary Harris
E.T. Booth MS: Miller Inthirathvongsy
Free Home ES: Charlee Champion
Freedom MS: Olivia Dailey
Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy: Jace Birtwistle
Hickory Flat ES: Ryan Brown
Holly Springs ES STEM Academy: Adelyn Chettiar
Indian Knoll ES: Adelyn Hogan
Johnston ES: Teagan Gray
Knox ES STEM Academy: Brayden Cutlip
Liberty ES: Royd Reyes
Little River ES: Charlotte Hyde
Macedonia ES: Lyla Harris
Mill Creek MS: Emmett Davis
Mountain Road ES: Chino Kangwa
Oak Grove ES STEAM Academy: Charlotte Pearigen
R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy: Wyatt Davis
Sixes ES: Liam Preddy
Teasley MS: Reece Pruett
Woodstock ES: Luke Bridge
Woodstock MS: Demetra "MJ" Hays